


Breaking the Ice

by GimbleGamble



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: I low-key was lol, Ice Skating AU of some sort, M/M, One-Shot, breaking ice while iceskating, just in case anyone is uncomfy with the idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:23:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29536089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GimbleGamble/pseuds/GimbleGamble
Summary: Etho found a secluded frozen lake to get some practice in before the big competition. Climate change has other ideas.This was an idea from hmshermitcraft on tumblr that set camp in my brain and refused to leave until I did something with it. Turned out to be a little one-shot.
Relationships: Etho/MumboJumbo
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	Breaking the Ice

**Author's Note:**

> Talk about rare-pairs am I right?

* * *

It was one of those difficult jumps that he wanted to perfect, but some small thing was always off. Be it his landing or the angle of his left foot as he spun, it was no secret that he was getting frustrated and he made sure the surrounding trees knew it. Thankfully, Etho had found a beautiful but secluded frozen lake to practice on, away from the prying eyes of the other skaters and overbearing coaches.

He knew Beef meant well, but some alone time never hurt anyone.

He sighed, deciding that it was probably enough practice for the day, the weather has been a bit unpredictable lately and he'd hate to be stuck up here alone in the middle of a snow storm.

Well... maybe one more try. 

He went to the edge of the lake to plot his next move, maybe more speed was key? If he can do it correctly and put more power to his jump he'd have a bit more airtime and focus on getting his limbs in order. He nods to himself and push off, rapidly gaining speed on the smooth ice. He controlled his breathing feeling the slight adrenaline fueling his actions.

He was definitely going faster and at the peak of his speed he prepared himself. There! With zero hesitation he jumps, his arms find their correct place and even his feet cooperate as he spun midair, it was shaping up to be a good one! All he needed to do was stick the landing.

His foot makes contact and he feels the ice break before he hears it. While it sounds utterly cliche, time slowed to a crawl as he plunged into the water's icy depths. He'd gone farther into the lake than he usually dared to venture and with the unpredictable weather some areas of the lake didn't fully freeze.

Damn you climate change.

Etho's body seized up almost immediately. He tried his hardest to calm himself, this has definitely happened before, he knew what to expect and what to do. But with his focus still on his earlier jump and not to mention the exhaustion of a long practice session weighing down on him, the whole situation caught him off guard. As he started to sink the only thing he could think about was how worried Beef was going to get.

His vision dims, still somehow focused on the cluster of ice that obstructed the hole he fell through, slowly but surely getting farther away. One last burst of energy had him reach towards it before feeling his eyelids grow heavy.

A hand wraps around his wrist and he gets yanked up towards the surface.

"oh my word oh my word" nervous mumbles came from somewhere as Etho coughed up water, he felt his saviour move rapidly, wrapping him up in a warm jacket and scooping him close to his chest before legging it across the frozen lake.

Etho's thoughts were fuzzy, but he was dimly aware of the numbness of his limbs and the chattering of his teeth. The cold was merciless, seeping through his wet clothes and chilling him to the bone, he could've sworn that ice was forming on his hair.

He noted, with a slight degree of panic, that his mask had slid down his face, although he did admit that having a soaking wet mask on would've probably done more harm than good in this circumstance. A wave of exhaustion hit him and he wondered if he should take a quick little nap. 

"p-please stay awake" the stranger pleaded clutching him tighter, he hasn't stopped running and it was honestly a bit impressive. Etho opened his eyes a crack, registering that he should actually heed the stranger's request.

At his current angle the first thing he noticed was the dapper moustache resting above a worried frown. It looked soft to the touch, and if Etho wasn't feeling like he'd just fallen into a ravine he'd probably reach up to touch it. Those are some long eyelashes too huh. The stranger would glance down at him every now and then, probably to see if he was still awake or alive or both?. Etho tried to chuckle but it came out as a pained huff.

The sound of a door slamming open jolted Etho awake and as they descended a set of stairs he felt his surroundings slowly become warmer. Another set of doors opening basically blasted them with warm air.

The stranger immediately set to warming him up, apologizing profusely as he stripped Etho off his wet clothes, respectfully leaving his undergarments and wrapping him up in a thick blanket. After making sure that Etho wasn't going to pass out any time soon, he set him down on a couch a bit of a ways away from a fireplace and moved to the kitchen to get the kettle going.

Slowly but surely, Etho starts to get the feeling back in his limbs, and as his head cleared, he finally got to look at his surroundings... and immediately got hit with a wave of confusion.

"I- are we in an underground bunker?" he asked, bewildered, as he stared up at a skylight he's 100% sure is level with the ground. The stranger walks back into view, carrying two mugs of steaming hot tea.

"ah, yes, it saves on heating?" he seemed flustered, even more so as Etho just blinked at him in confusion "fine, I just really like bunkers ok? ever since I was a kid" he blushed, offering the drink to Etho.

"Oh, no, it's nice! I've just never seen anything like it" he replied as he accepts the tea. He takes a shaky sip and as the warmth spread even further in his body the gravity of what happened dawned on him "you just-... you just saved my life... uhh"

"oh! Mumbo, my name's Mumbo" he smiled, the red still not quite leaving his cheeks as he sat besides Etho "and no worries umm"

"Etho" he blinks slowly, leaning back into the couch as he stares at Mumbo with wonder "good thing you were nearby Mumbo, I don't think I would've made it" 

"well, I have been watching for a while" upon seeing Etho's alarmed reaction Mumbo realized just how bad that sounded "ah! nothing creepy or anything I promise! I live across the lake and I just see you skating there sometimes"

"huh, I thought I was the only one who knew about the lake, I've never seen any houses nearby"

"well, it's probably because my house is underground"

"right, bunker" Etho cautiously relaxed again, clutching at the tea to warm his hands.

"I actually first saw you a couple of weeks ago" Mumbo blushed again, bashfully looking down at his mug "I think you were in the middle of practicing? And I've... never seen anyone move that beautifully on ice.

"Ever since I moved here I thought skating was just a way to cross the lake you know, I mean, that's the only reason I did it anyways. But then I saw you skate and I swear my heart stopped. You moved so gracefully, every spin, every jump, it just pulled at me." Mumbo looked anywhere else other than his stunned guest, every word seemingly making Etho's face redder and redder "Before I knew it, I started to look forward to watching you practice" He sank in the couch "I even started to clean up the ice a little bit"

"wait- the reason why the ice is amazing to skate on-?"

"uh yeah, I have a little thing I push. I uhh used to use it to make a clean path in the middle of the lake so I have an easy time skating towards town. But then you started coming here and I, maybe, started to clean a larger area around where you usually skate" 

"I thought it was because of climate change" Etho muttered under his breath

"ugh you must think I'm some sort of creep, I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. I swear I'll stop watching you practice" Mumbo rambled at lightning speed, feeling a hundred percent ready to jump out of his skin. He froze when he heard Etho laugh.

"you don't have to stop watching me practice" he grinned, face tinted with pink "besides, you did save my life today! I'm gonna have to repay you for that"

"what, there's no need for that" Mumbo replied immediately, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"I insist!" Etho announced "Oh, do you have a phone I can borrow? I need to call my coach to tell him where I am" he paused, then quickly added "and that I'll be heading home tomorrow"

"oh here" Mumbo offered up his phone without hesitation, then froze when he finally realized what Etho just said "wait-"

"if it's okay with you?" he asked, face considerably redder than before "I mean, it's kinda getting dark, and I _would_ like to know my saviour a bit better" Mumbo blushed again.

"I-I'd love that"

* * *

A couple of years later, Etho would, much to Mumbo's chagrin, still tell the tale of how the very first thing his husband did when they first met was to get him soaking wet and strip him naked.

**Author's Note:**

> I _have_ posted this on tumblr _**but**_ I've cleaned it up a bit and jiggled some words around.
> 
> Oh also posted a MumDoc fanart on my tumblr with a short little drabble which I am also gonna edit and post here but if you haven't seen it before and want to check it out early head on to my tumblr, same name I have here (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤
> 
> That's all from me for now! Thanks for reading ( ◜‿◝ )♡


End file.
